


Shot In The Dark

by Jessocalypse, Kyokaen



Series: Strawhat Chronicles: The Untold Voyages [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Akuma no Mi | Devil Fruit, Angst, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Companionable Snark, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Luffy Being Luffy, Mild Language, Nakamaship, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), sociopathic villain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-16 01:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5807557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jessocalypse/pseuds/Jessocalypse, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyokaen/pseuds/Kyokaen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"I don't want your help! You think I'm so stupid that I'd just blindly trust a bunch of pirates?!"</i>
</p><p>  <i>Luffy grinned back at her, still not seeing the problem with them being pirates. "SHISHISHISHI haven't you heard? Pirates are the ones with the most freedom in the world! Helping you sounds like an adventure that I just can't pass up!!!"</i></p><p>  <i>Her eyes flashed frustration at his equally stubborn insistence. "You're crazy, you can't stick your neck out for a total stranger just like that! I could be anyone! I could be a serial killer!"</i></p><p>  <i>He laughed again. "But you're not! And even if you were, I would kick your ass!"</i></p><p>---</p><p>Reckless and determined, Mara flees her disaster-stricken home island with only one goal: live long enough to flag down a marine ship for help. Instead, she finds herself waking up on the ship of the Strawhat Pirates. As usual, Luffy's refusal to accept no for an answer results in the group leaping headfirst into dangerous territory once more.</p><p>Welcome to Rumble Cay; a tropical island filled with lush green jungles, villages built atop the trees, erratic weather patterns, and unmitigated brutality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Castaway

> _"They can take my heart, they can take my breath  
>  When they pry it from my cold, dead chest."_

 

* * *

 

 

The Going Merry coasted gently atop the waves, creating a soothing rhythm that was making it increasingly hard for the resident swordsman to stay awake as he lounged up in the crow's nest, arms leisurely folded behind his head. He was supposed to be keeping watch, but what could a little nap hurt? They were clearly in no danger, and his eyelids were drooping further by the second...

He blinked just then, catching sight of something as his eyes were about to close. It looked to be an island in the distance, albeit quite foggy and surrounded by decidedly unpleasant weather conditions. In any case, it was something Nami would want to know about, so he leaned slightly out of the crow's nest and called down to the redhead. "Oi! There's an island."

Nami appeared almost immediately, grateful to have something to distract her from the otherwise slow afternoon. There were only so many maps a girl could draw in one day, and while she wasn't exactly craving peril and woe, it certainly couldn't hurt to have something new to discuss.

She glanced up at the crow's nest, searching Zoro's face. "Where?!"

He responded only by pointing lazily toward the island, already falling asleep much to Nami's chagrin. Usopp appeared by her side, using his goggles to zoom in on the aforementioned island and trying to get a better look at it. He couldn't help but grimace at the sight he encountered.

"No, it's no good! We can't possibly want to go to _that_ island! It looks dangerous, and...and as your Captain, I have to put my foot down on this one!" He folded his arms in an attempt to look authoritative as Nami took the goggles from him to see the island for herself.

Her brow furrowed in worry as she gazed through the lenses. "Wow...even from this distance, you can clearly see the--"

"ISLAAAAAAND!!" Luffy's voice interrupted their thoughts at that moment as he bounced outside to the cacophony of pots clanging and Sanji's irritable tone ordering him to get out of the kitchen. He grinned widely as he joined Usopp and Nami, immediately excited by the prospect of a new place to explore and the potential adventure that awaited them, especially after the boredom he'd suffered over the past few days. "Let's go, let's go, LET'S GO! How much longer, Nami!?"

Nami sighed in annoyance at the sudden assault on her ear drums. "We haven't decided that we're going yet! Calm down!"

The Captain just laughed cheerfully as he hopped on top of Merry's head, brimming with anticipation. "Of course we're going! It's gonna be an adventure!!"

The navigator sighed, eyeing the log pose around her wrist and studying the weather in the horizon. "Well I can tell you one thing, this island isn't going to be easy to get to."

Usopp nodded fervently in agreement. "No kidding! It looks more like a death trap! Nami, come on, we're not seriously going there are we?!"

A small voice gasped in terror from just behind them. "D-death trap!!?" Having wandered outside after hearing all the commotion, Chopper's eyes grew wide as he found himself in overwhelming agreement with the sniper. They definitely should not go to this place!

Ignoring Usopp's pleas and Chopper's alarm, Nami turned her eyes back toward the crow's nest. She knew well enough by now that if Luffy had taken an interest in something, they weren't about to pass it by. "Keep a sharp eye out, Zoro."

Zoro only grunted in response and moments later, soft snores began to drift towards the deck from above.

Nami's face contorted into a glare. "What did I just say?!!" Running a hand through her hair in irritation, she turned to Usopp, who all but withered at the look on her face. "Usopp, _you_ go up there, we can't trust him to stay awake!"

"What?!" Usopp's hands flew up in automatic defense, causing Chopper to leap behind him in surprise. "Are you crazy? We definitely shouldn't go to that island!! I refuse to be a part of this suicidal madness!"

Chopper nodded vigorously. "YEAH! We shouldn't go!!"

"Well then, try telling that to Luffy!" Nami retorted, her hands planted on her hips as she looked pointedly at their Captain, who was practically radiant with delight as he impatiently awaited what new adventures lie in store on the distant apocalyptic island. There was no way that any of them could tell him no. It would have been like canceling Christmas.

Usopp felt himself buckling, sighing in defeat. "Alright, fine! I'm going up!" Shoulders slumping, he made his way to the crow's nest and climbed his way up to the top, all the while mumbling under his breath about reckless Captains and islands full of things that wanted to eat him. He frowned at the sight of Zoro, fast asleep and snoring peacefully. "Zoro! Wake up, you bastard! It's your fault I have to be up here!"

Down below, Nami sighed a bit. "What a laze-about no-good lout!" She turned toward the kitchen, where Sanji and Toshi had been working on washing up after lunch. "Sanji-kun! Would you make me some coffee?"

"Oh, of course, I'll make you anything you want, Nami-swan!" Sanji's melodious reply floated from the open kitchen door. Nami could have sworn she heard the cook's eyes turn to hearts, as well as the sigh Toshi emitted when Sanji launched into another one of his romantic outbursts.

Meanwhile, Usopp had been standing beside the still-sleeping Zoro and surveying the scene that awaited them. "This just isn't a good idea...ah, jeez!" He slid his goggles back down, zooming in as best he could to get a closer look at the turmoil in the distance. Waves were slapping dangerously against the jagged, sharp rocks that bordered the shore, and... "GAH! Is that a whirlpool!?" His eyes widened in shock as a feeling of dismay crept over him, doubtful that Merry would survive such a trip. Just as he was regretting never having written a will, his eyes fell upon something floating in the water not too far from the ship. Gasping in alarm, he leaned out of the nest to call down to the rest of the crew. "OI!! There's something floating in the water up ahead!!"

Her request for coffee forgotten, Nami ran to the side of the ship, closely followed by Chopper, the distress in Usopp's voice prompting concern. "What is it?!"

Luffy quickly joined them, curious as to what the fuss was about. He leaned over the railing, squinting to see what Usopp had pointed to. "...EH? Isn't that a person?!"

"That's what it looked like to me!" Usopp shouted back as he climbed back down from the crow's nest, hurriedly joining them as well. "At first I only saw that log he's clinging to!" He studied what seemed to be a large tree branch floating along the water and what appeared to be a human attached to it, though unmoving.

Chopper leapt up onto the railing, sniffing the air carefully before a solemn look darkened his features. "I smell blood..."

Usopp recoiled immediately. "Blood?!" His eyes snapped back to the figure floating in the water before them, horrified. If that person was injured or dead, it would only further solidify his belief that continuing their travels would be a fatal mistake. He was about to open his mouth to tell them just that when Luffy began to climb onto the railing.

"I'll go get him!!" He declared, preparing to jump as his flabbergasted crewmates desperately grasped for him.

"LUFFY NO!!" Usopp had grabbed one of his legs. "You can't swim! Don't be stupid!" He paused just then, an idea forming in his mind. "Wait! Maybe you can grab him from here!"

Luffy jumped back down, grinning at Usopp's suggestion. "Ah, that's right!" He gripped his right shoulder as he pulled back for momentum and then sent a rubber appendage flying toward the target in the water. His arm wound around the entire tree branch a few times before snapping back and dragging the limb with the person attached to it all the way across the gap between them. Seawater rained down from above as the large branch hit the deck, soaking everything in the vicinity in the process.

The crew watched the spectacle with great interest, but adopted a certain amount of caution as they approached the broken branch and the unmoving human that they could now identify as a young woman. She appeared unconscious, yet had managed to remain attached to her only means of transportation even while sailing through the air via Luffy's elastic arm.

Chopper immediately went into doctor mode, splashing through the sizeable puddle around the girl and carefully checking her vital signs, noting the blood that was pooling beneath her shirt and staining the dirtied cloth from white to dark red.

"Is...is she dead?!" Usopp broke the stunned silence as Zoro, who had finally been roused by all the ruckus, came up behind him to inspect the scene. Nami looked on, one hand over her mouth in worry. The girl couldn't have been any older than she was. She wondered just what could have happened to cause such injuries, and found herself thinking that perhaps Usopp had been right about that island in the distance.

Chopper shook his head at the question, having felt a pulse on the girl. He glanced up at everyone with a grave look on his furry face. "No, she's not dead...but she's barely alive. She's in shock. Quickly! We need to get her inside. I have to close this wound up and stop the bleeding!"

Luffy found himself in a bit of a panic at those words as he stared down at the unconscious young woman, concern etched all over his face. "This is horrible!!" He bent to gingerly pick her up, as per Chopper's instructions, then carefully followed the reindeer down into the women's quarters with the rest of the crew in tow.

Sanji poked his head out of the kitchen door, a wet plate and a soapy dish rag in his hands, just in time to see some of his crewmates disappear inside the ship. "Ehh? What the hell is going on out there?" He raised his curly eyebrow and turned to look back at Toshi, who appeared just as clueless. "Maybe you should go check on them," he added, "I can finish up here."

Toshi nodded as he set aside the towel he'd been using to dry the dishes and headed out the door, certainly curious to find out what was happening. Following after the crowd, he managed to catch Usopp and Nami before they could enter the women's quarters. "Hey! what's going on?"

Usopp turned, clearly anxious; all the color had drained from his cheeks. "We...we found a dead girl!! Well, no, ALMOST dead. It's terrible!" He wrung his hands a bit, glancing back down the stairs as Nami quickly squeezed past the two of them to descend. "Chopper says she's barely hanging on, he can help her though!"

Toshi blinked, his eyes widening, having not expected to hear something quite so dismal. "Holy shit."

The bartender followed Usopp down the stairs just in time to see Luffy carefully set the girl down onto the bed before drawing back to look on anxiously as Chopper began to shout orders to those gathered nearby.

It was not often that the Captain was seen to be so serious. "Please save her, Chopper!" He said, his voice low as his fingers curled into fists, wondering, as Nami had, how this girl came to be in such a dire condition.

Meanwhile, Chopper was running out to get his medical kit. He scurried up the stairs, passing by Sanji, who had given in to curiosity and followed Toshi. "Sanji!! We need hot water! Usopp, grab some towels! I need to clean up these wounds before I can suture them!"

"Right!" Reading the level of seriousness in Chopper's tone, both men wasted no time in hurrying to retrieve the specified items, leaving the remaining crew members to watch over the girl until the doctor returned.

Nami bit down on a fingernail as she tentatively reached down, brushing a strand of long, matted brown hair from the girl's dirtied face. "Ah, she's...so young, this poor thing! I wonder what happened..." She looked up quickly as the ship lurched all of a sudden, her eyes falling on the bartender. "Toshi, go take the helm. And tell Zoro to prepare Merry for the storm we're about to sail into! Be careful!"

"Roger!" Toshi nodded and bounded back up the stairs, passing Usopp and Sanji as they hurried back down with Chopper.

Sanji carefully set the bucket of hot water onto the bedside table, finally taking a look at their injured guest and his reaction was immediate, eyes widening and jaw going slack. "Oh, no!! This...this is too tragic! Just awful!" Stricken, his expression morphed into one of sorrow and worry. "Such a horrible thing to happen to a beautiful young woman... Oh, I hope she'll be alright!" He gently cupped his hand over one of hers, noting how icy her skin felt against his own. "Please don't worry, miss, I'll do whatever I can in order to see you through this grave situation! Ah-" He was interrupted by Nami roughly grabbing the collar of his shirt and yanking him backwards, chiding him for being in the way.

Chopper immediately set to work on the girl, slowly peeling away the ruined bandages that had been wrapped around her torso. "This is bad...some of these wounds are older...she's had stitches, but most of them have ripped..." He began removing what was left of them, furrowing his brow in concentration as he worked, and for a moment the only sound in the room was of his suture scissors quietly snipping away.

Realizing that Chopper's work would require the removal of some of the girl's clothing, Nami shook herself from her daze and set her eyes on the male members of the crew, waving them away with one hand. "Alright, all you men get out of here! Give her some privacy!"

Sanji immediately obeyed her command, as did Usopp, though Luffy remained reluctant to leave.

"I don't want to go," he said, his eyes still fixated on the scene before him.

"You're in the way! Go help Toshi and Zoro!" He didn't budge and Nami sighed after a moment, noting the anxious look on his face. Her tone became a bit more gentle. "Luffy...there's nothing you can do for her right now."

A long moment passed before he finally complied, rising from his seat with a bit of reluctance and disappearing up the stairs to the deck above.

Nami watched to make sure that they had all left before joining Chopper at the bed and assisting him in removing the girl's bloodied shirt, gasping at the sight of the ugly wound on her side. "This is horrible...definitely doesn't look like an accident..."

Robin knelt down beside them, getting a towel and dipping it into the hot water. "Here, doctor-san."

"Thanks." Chopper took the towel from her and delicately began cleaning around the wound with it, stopping to cut away any dead tissue that he encountered along the edges. "This isn't good...I wonder what happened...?" He murmured to himself as he worked.

Once finished, he sat back and reevaluated the damage; the open wound on the girl's side seemed to be the source of most of the bleeding, aside from some minor scrapes and gashes on her arms and legs that he could only assume had been the result of some sort of shipwreck. Thankfully, however, there seemed to be no organ damage and although bruising suggested some possible cracked ribs, he felt confident that once she was stabilized and her fluids replenished, she could make a full recovery.

Reaching for a needle and a new coil of suture, he took note of the various fading scars that seemed to be scattered randomly on her body. It was clear that wherever she had come from and whoever she was, she had been through quite a lot.

Robin had noticed it as well. "This girl most likely came from that island up ahead, don't you think so?"

"Definitely." Nami nodded, watching Chopper as he set to work stitching the girl's flesh back together. "When she regains consciousness we'll ask her and find out for sure..." She let out a sigh, her expression strained as she absently twirled a section of hair around her finger. "There's something not right about all of this..." She turned away just then, hearing the faint sounds of the men fighting on the deck above and found herself irritably wondering why they couldn't ever be serious even at a time like this.

Minutes later, Chopper finished closing the girl's wound and reached for a small towel. Gently, he dabbed at the line of black x-shaped stitching and wiped away excess blood. He then looked to Robin for assistance. "We'll need to roll her over, carefully, so I can check for any more injuries." As instructed, Robin helped him ease the girl onto her side while Chopper carefully inspected her back for more wounds or fractures, shocked to find more old scars. "Some of these are recent! But they're all healed..."

Shaking his head a bit in disbelief but satisfied at finding no more serious injuries, he grabbed a roll of bandages and set to work wrapping it around the girl's waist, afterward giving her a shot of antibiotics to prevent any infections. "Alright...this is all I can do. We'll have to wait now." He stepped back as a soft knock came on the trap door.

"Is she okay?" Luffy let himself in, uncharacteristically quiet as he descended the stairs and entered the room, his eyes falling upon the girl as she slept.

"Luffy..." Nami began, thinking to chastise him for entering the room, but the look on his face kept her words at bay and she found herself unable to turn him away. He was clearly worried, even though this girl was a complete stranger. That was just the kind of guy Luffy was. She watched as he made his way toward the bed and sat down on the chair beside it, his expression unreadable.

"She's stable now, Luffy," Chopper told him. He looked on as Robin took another towel and gently cleaned off the girl's face, making her look much less like someone who had been near death and more like a girl who was simply asleep.

Nami sighed, knowing there wasn't much more any of them could do for her until she woke up. "Come on, let's leave them for now...I have need to be up on deck to make sure that we make it to that island."

Chopper nodded, this time not thinking to argue against it. "It's likely that whatever did this to her is there," he said, having realized it a while ago. "We have to get make it! There could be more people just like her, injured and dying!" He looked at Nami, eyes full of determination, just as the trap door banged open once more and someone stopped halfway down the stairs.

"Eh?" Sanji had overheard Chopper's exclamation whilst on a mission to drag Luffy back out of the women's quarters, disgusted by the manners of the Captain and his complete disregard for a woman's privacy, but paused at those words. "So we're still going to that island? Might want to tell Usopp then, he's trying to sail us in the opposite direction."

"What?!" Shaking her head, Nami followed the cook back up to the kitchen area where the helm was located. Usopp and Toshi were wrestling for control of the steering pole, Zoro nowhere to be seen and presumably out on deck tying down the sails.

"Hey, stop!!" Toshi shouted over the noise of the thunder and pouring rain they had sailed into. "Aren't we trying to go TO the island?!"

Usopp managed to look at him as if he had grown two more heads in the midst of the struggle. "Are you crazy?! NO!! ONLY TERROR AND DEATH EXISTS ON THAT ISLAND!" He fought to gain control of the steering device. "We have to go THAT WAY!"

"No!!" Toshi gritted his teeth as he pulled in the other direction. "THIS way! Nami said so!!"

"TOSHI!!" Usopp exclaimed in exasperation. "DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!"

"Of course not! But ORDERS ARE ORDERS! Are you a man or a mouse?!"

"I'm a man who likes being alive, dammit!!"

Sanji strode over to the two men and wedged himself in between the both of them, roughly pushing them apart. "OI! Knock it off, you two idiots!! Nami-san says we're going to that island! Chopper thinks there could be more injured people there, so cut this stupid shit out!"

"BUT-"

"Usopp!!" Nami snapped, her patience stretched thin due to the stress of the situation. "It's already been decided, we're going! End of discussion, now hands off the helm! Sanji, you help Toshi!"

"Of course, Nami-swan!!" Sanji gave Nami a look of absolute adoration before taking Usopp's place at the device beside Toshi as the sniper continued to protest.

"B-but Nami!! How are we going to get there?! THERE ARE WHIRLPOOLS AND SHARP POINTY ROCKS, PLUS I THINK I SAW A TORNADO AND EVEN A VOLCANO!!" He threw his arms out, clearly exaggerating, though for all anyone knew there could very well be a volcano sitting beneath the rough waters.

"You should _see_ your Captain's face! He's already in too deep, so we're going and that's final!" Nami crossed her arms, glancing back at Sanji and Toshi as the two of them struggled to keep Merry on course in the midst of the rocking waves.

Deciding that the they could control the situation for now, Nami turned and followed Usopp back outside when she caught sight of a head of green hair resting by the stairs, the snoring somewhat drowned out by the sound of the rain slapping against the wooden deck. "Must be so nice to be an idiot!" She frowned, shaking his shoulder a bit in a futile attempt to wake him and then she sighed. "Not a care in the world..."

Giving up on the sleeping swordsman for the moment, Nami went back inside, quickly preparing a strategy for navigating the increasingly violent waters. It would certainly take a great amount of skill in order to get the ship to the dreary island up ahead, but Nami was fairly confident that she could get them all there.

It was not knowing what awaited them once they arrived that was worrying her.


	2. If The Weather Doesn't Kill You

Hours passed as the Strawhat pirates attempted to ride out the storm whilst carefully navigating through the perilous seas toward the disaster-stricken island that was to be their destination (much to the dismay of the crew's sniper) and by extension any dangers it harbored within. The trek was slow-going thus far, but Nami was a skilled navigator and although it made her more than a little nervous, she was confident that she could get Merry through the journey safely. The rain had slowed to nearly a drizzle, but more ominous clouds in the distance suggested that they would not be enjoying the abatement for much longer.

Luffy had barely moved from the spot he'd taken beside their unconscious guest's bed as Chopper quietly napped nearby, wanting to be there when she woke up to make sure that she was alright and to find out just what had happened to her.

Early evening rolled around by the time the girl began to regain consciousness.

She stirred slightly, her face contorting a bit as she became aware of the sensations of pain that were no doubt present. Moments later, her eyes slowly fluttered open, confusion written all over her face as she appeared to be wondering exactly where she was and perhaps if she had actually died or not.

Luffy grinned widely from his seat, immediately perking up at the sight of her awakened state. Not giving her time for her vision to clear up, he exclaimed, "You're awake!!"

Having not yet noticed the fact that she wasn't alone, the girl started at the sound of his voice, emitting a sharp gasp. She slowly turned a pair of perplexed brown eyes onto him, still bleary from sleep. "Who...who are you?" She asked him, her own voice sounding a bit hoarse. "Where...am I?" She winced as she attempted to sit up in the bed, not yet certain of whether or not she ought to be alarmed as she quickly scanned the room for any clues as to her whereabouts.

"Monkey D. Luffy!!" He readily announced, then recited the introduction that he'd given to pretty much everyone he had met since the day he had decided on his future, "I'm the man who's gonna be the king of pirates! You're on my pirate ship!" He grinned with glee as he leaned a bit closer, invading her personal space. "You almost died, you know!"

She blinked in apparent confusion. "Pirate...?"

Chopper stirred, Luffy's loud voice effectively waking him from his slumber. "Eh? She's come to?" He sprang from the chair, hurrying over to the bed as the girl continued to attempt to prop herself up. "Careful!! You need to stay lying down or you'll rip your stitches again!" He cried out, urging her back down.

She began to cooperate at first, until it occurred to her that an _animal_ of some sort had just told her to lie down and that she should probably be questioning this. She stared back at him groggily, a hint of disbelief crossing her face. "But...you're a...raccoon?"

"I'M A REINDEER!!"

Luffy laughed loudly in the background, slapping his knee in amusement as Chopper continued to try to get her to stay still, though he was not very successful because a moment later the girl's eyes went wide as she sat up fast, wincing at the pain that the action had brought on.

"No!! I..." She gasped and her eyes widened as if she'd just remembered something important, then she was swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I can't be here!!" Panic took over as she made a run for it on wobbly legs, dashing for the stairs in an unbalanced manner and gripping her side as she reacted to the pain.

"Stop her, Luffy!" Chopper cried out. "She'll hurt herself!"

Luffy's eyes widened as he immediately followed after her. "Hey!! Wait!" He caught up with her at the top of the stairs, noting that for a wounded person she was still rather quick. Still, she paused at the door and nearly doubled over for a moment, gritting her teeth.

She glanced over her shoulder, pushing herself off the wall. "Look, I appreciate what you did for me, but I can't stay!" She headed for the door, only vaguely aware of the fact that she didn't actually have any idea of where she was. No matter, she would figure that out later. Her first priority was getting out of there... However, she had barely taken two steps before a pair of rubbery arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her backward.

Luffy grinned from over her shoulder and laughed in her ear, "Shishishi! You're not going anywhere!"

"The hell I'm not!" The girl snapped back, struggling to free herself. She made several futile attempts, kicking her legs and flailing her fists, ignoring the throbbing pain in her side. "You can't tell me what to do!!" Visibly angry, she fought against him, but Luffy's grip was too strong and she was finding herself to be quite weak due to the injuries she'd sustained. "LET GO OF ME, DAMMIT!! You'll regret taking me as a hostage, I'll kick your ass!!"

Luffy laughed out loud, still holding her tightly. "No you won't, you're weak! Besides, Chopper said you aren't supposed to go anywhere. Why were you floating in the sea? Who are you? Where did you come from?"

Unfortunately for the Captain, she had no patience for such questions and she only scowled in response. "I don't have time for this!!" She kicked her feet again, aiming for his head, but he merely dodged the blows. "I don't care how weak I am, I'll still kick your ass! You're in my way!!" She lunged forward, stretching Luffy's arms with great effort until she managed to slip out from beneath his rubbery grasp. She made for the door just as the captain was promptly smacked square in the face with his own appendages, causing him to lose his balance and stumble back until he fell through the open trap-door.

"GYAAAHHH!!" He screamed as he bounced backward down the stairs, completely bowling over poor Chopper as the reindeer had been on his way up. The both of them crashed into the wall at the bottom of the women's quarters, causing an enormous racket.

Meanwhile, the young lady had managed to sneak outside, closing the door behind her and gazing about her surroundings. She couldn't be sure how long she'd been out for, and it was difficult to judge the time of day due to the dark clouds occluding the sky overhead. The floor rocked to the side suddenly and she had to grapple for the wall to regain her bearings. She could see that she was on a ship...a rather small one, she thought, although it seemed cozy enough. Her eyes drifted up to the mast and it was then that she'd caught sight of the sail...jolly roger painted onto it for all to see.

A pirate ship...that's right, Luffy had mentioned something of the sort. She didn't have much experience in dealing with pirates, although she had grown up reading about them. Luffy was certainly not the type of pirate captain she would have expected to encounter, that was for certain.

Shaking her head, the girl turned her eyes to the horizon and immediately they grew wide. The thunderheads in the distance...the reason the ship was encountering such turbulence... Were these pirates completely insane? She wheeled around on one foot, about to go storming back into the room she had just come from when a gentlemanly fellow in a black suit appeared from seemingly nowhere and effectively blocked her path.

An awkward moment passed before she blinked, looking slightly upward at the blond man. He hadn't uttered a single sound although he was gazing at her very intently, a healthy flush blooming over both his cheeks.

She frowned. "You're blocking the door. Move. What's wrong with you?"

Sanji's face immediately morphed into a wide goofy grin and he closed his eyes briefly, as if he were savoring the moment. "Ah! She speaks! Here I was, convinced that she was simply a beautiful figment of my imagination!" He warbled as he clasped a hand over his heart. "Cutie-chwan, please, may I know the name of this heaven-sent vision?"

"Uhh..." She hesitated for a moment before deciding that although he seemed quite crazy, he was probably just a harmless idiot. Besides that, her own name was preferable to 'Cutie-chwan,' so she replied, "Mara. My name's Mara. And stop looking at me like that, you're creeping me out!"

But Sanji wasn't listening. Instead, he grasped one of her hands and sang out, "Mara-chwan!!! What an absolutely lovely name befitting of a princess such as yourself! Oh, I don't know the circumstances that brought you here to this ship...perhaps fate! Destiny!" In a show of dramatics, he threw his free arm over his face. He was about to continue, but just then the door burst open from behind, slamming into the love-struck chef and sending him sprawling unceremoniously past Mara where he fell flat on his face.

"SHISHISHISHI!!" Luffy laughed from the doorway, plopping his straw hat back onto his head. "Sanji, what are you doing on the floor?!"

"IDIOT!!!" Sanji sprang up angrily, his teeth morphing into two rows of sharp points. "Watch what you're doing!! You could have hurt Mara-chan!"

Luffy's face became blank. "Eh?! Who's Mara?"

"I am!" Mara replied, exasperated. "And you need to turn this ship around!"

"No way!!"

She growled, "You can't go to that island!"

He just grinned. "Of course we can!"

Mara opened her mouth to retort, but just then Chopper ran past Luffy's legs toward her and began examining her wound, tsking at the fact that she had very nearly ripped a couple of stitches in the midst of her struggle against Luffy.

"Oi, Luffy! You need to be more careful with her, she's bleeding again!" The doctor chided as he worked to adjust Mara's bandages.

Luffy stuck a finger up his nose. "You told me to stop her, so I stopped her!"

Mara heaved a sigh of annoyance. "Look people, whatever you want from me, you're not getting it! I mean it! I don't have time for this, something bad is happening to my home and I have to find help!!"

Luffy's face fell at those words. "Something bad? Like what? Tell me! _I_ want to help!"

"That's right," Sanji agreed, a bit too eagerly. "Please tell us, Mara-chan! We will do anything in our power to help you!"

"What?!" Mara glared back at them as best she could, slightly taken aback. "Why? You're pirates! That's crazy. What could _you guys_ do, anyway?!"

"Listen, I'm strong! We all are!" Luffy assured her, gripping his bicep as if to illustrate his point. "Plus I don't like people who hurt others...like you...you almost died, you know!"

Mara crossed her arms defiantly. "I got that part, already! Why do you even care?!" She frowned back at him as Sanji fussed in the background. "I don't want your help! You think I'm so stupid that I'd just blindly trust a bunch of pirates?!"

Luffy grinned back at her, still not seeing the problem with them being pirates. "SHISHISHISHI haven't you heard? Pirates are the ones with the most freedom in the world! Helping you sounds like an adventure that I just can't pass up!!!"

Sanji's foot came crashing down over Luffy's head and he immediately reprimanded the captain. "Dumbass! This isn't a game! Mara-chan is clearly in a lot of trouble right now, show a little decency!" He turned back to Mara, offering her an apologetic smile. "Our captain is an insensitive idiot, but you can believe him when he says he wants to help."

"That's right!" Luffy replied without a single hint of hesitation as he pulled his head back from where it had become lodged between his shoulders. "Just tell me who I need to fight!"

Ignoring his request, the girl bit her lip in hesitation, her eyes flashing frustration at his equally stubborn insistence. "You're crazy, you can't stick your neck out for a total stranger just like that! I could be anyone! I could be a serial killer!"

He laughed again. "But you're not! And even if you were, I would kick your ass!"

"Then you're also pretty arrogant if you think you can fix my problem without even knowing what it is yet! Why the hell should I trust you?!"

Luffy didn't back down one bit at that. "I told you! I'm the man who's gonna be the king of pirates!" He repeated with an air of confidence that she was sure she hadn't ever encountered before. "Besides, I want to get stronger! I can't do that if I don't fight more and more battles!"

The ship lurched rather violently once more, sending everyone scrambling for something to hold on to as a spray of water arced onto the deck from the churning sea below. From above, large wet drops began sprinkling down, plopping haphazardly onto the wooden deck.

Mara glanced back toward the stormy thunderheads that gathered above the island in the distance. "I'm not kidding around, you have to turn back! You have NO IDEA what you're getting yourself into. That's Rumble Cay! Even if you manage to get there, your ship will be in pieces! Where's your navigator? I need to talk some sense into him!"

Sanji's face warped into an expression of deep concern. "Mara-chan, is the person who injured you still on that island?" His gaze dropped to the wound on Mara's side, the borrowed shirt she wore stained red in some places from the ripped sutures. When he looked back at her, his face was very serious, a passionate fury burning slow behind his visible eye. "I won't let a person who would dare hurt a lady walk away in one piece."

Just as Mara was beginning to reconsider her initial judgment of him, Sanji's legs buckled and he began to sway back and forth as a mass of small hearts appeared all around him. "What a brave young woman! How admirable! Mellorine!!" He cried out as Luffy laughed at him.

Shaking her head, Mara turned on her heel and swiftly walked away. She had to find the navigator of this ship and get him to turn around before all of these idiot pirates got themselves killed trying to help her. Strong? She wasn't so sure about that; Luffy seemed to have an odd power, but Sanji was just a pervert and the reindeer was so small she couldn't imagine him being able to fight at all.

Heading for the set of stairs that lay before her, Mara was so focused on her thoughts that she failed to notice a certain swordsman come meandering down those steps until their paths intersected and she plowed right into him. "OOF!" was the sound she made as she bounced off his chest, her rear hitting the floor before she even had time to wonder how.

"Hm?" Zoro scratched his head sleepily and looked from his left to his right. He was sure he'd just felt something hit him a moment ago... Finally it dawned on him to look down. There, sprawled on the deck, was the very girl they'd pulled from the water a few hours before.

Zoro quirked an eyebrow. "Oi, what're you doing?" He would have thought she would still be resting, and it seemed as though she _should_ be, as indicated by the blood still leaking from the wound on her side. "Are you stupid? You're injured." He seemed not to realize the irony in that accusation, continuing to stare at her for a moment longer before it occurred to him that he ought to offer her some help and so he extended a hand.

Mara had been about to ask him the very same thing; he'd been looking at her with such a dazed expression, it was as if he had no idea what was going on. She studied his outstretched hand carefully before accepting his assistance, grunting as he pulled her to her feet, "Mind your own business, this is nothing!"

Zoro's lips curled slightly into a smirk. "Heh. Really? Maybe you were worth saving, after all. What are you looking for?" His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he studied her. "Who are you, anyway?"

She'd just opened her mouth to reply when Sanji's voice rang out from behind her.

"Mara-chwan! There you are," he practically cooed and Mara visibly cringed. "You took off so suddenly, I didn't get the chance to offer you a tour of our ship!"

"Yeah, no thanks," she muttered. What was with these people, anyway? She eyed Zoro, deciding she would much rather speak with him than the other one, who seemed to be producing tiny pink hearts from his eye...yes, she thought, something was definitely wrong with that one. "Anyway, I need to talk to your navigator. Your captain has this STUPID idea in his head about going to that island," she said as she pointed out Rumble Cay, tropical treetops and lush hillsides just barely visible at their current distance. The ship rocked once more, as if on cue. "He's just leading you all on a suicidal joyride! You have to turn this ship around. NOW."

The voice of the captain in question rang out from the other side of the ship. "MARAAAA COME BACK!!! SHISHISHI!!"

Zoro's smirk widened and he was about to reply to Mara's warning when a pink heart floated in front of his face and he wheeled around to face the chef, his teeth becoming razor sharp. "What're you doing, CURLY COOK?! YOU'RE IN THE WAY!"

Sanji growled, his own teeth becoming equally sharp as he palmed the swordsman's face and pushed him away. "You're the one in the way, MARIMO! How dare you knock over Mara-chan! You don't have the faintest idea how to treat a lady, you barbarian!"

Mara took a few steps backward, taking that opportunity to put some distance between herself and Luffy. He seemed genuine, and a good guy...which was exactly the reason she couldn't allow him to help her. She swiftly ascended the steps while the argument between the two men continued to escalate; Sanji aimed a hard kick at Zoro, but the swordsman quickly ducked and Luffy, who had come up behind him, took the full force of the blow.

From there, the noise level only increased. A few of the other crew members were being drawn toward the cacophony below, remarking on the noise level as they approached. Mara ducked below the white railing that lined the second floor deck, spotting a door nearby. She made a beeline for it and pushed it open.

Someone was standing by the table inside, and as the door gently shut itself behind her, Mara did not hesitate to approach him. "Hey. You. Are you the ship's navigator?"

Toshi looked up from the line of shots he was setting up on the other side of the table to see the girl they had fished out of the water standing there, alive and well. "HEY! You're the girl!" He jumped over the table and ran up to her. "I'm Toshi! See, I told Chopper that you needed some booze and here you are! You're just in time for the SHOTS!!"

Before Mara could process what was happening, Toshi had grabbed her wrist and was dragging her over to the table to show off his masterpiece. "I have them all lined up from weakest to strongest. This one on the end, VERY flammable. Oh hey, lemme offer you a drink first!" Toshi pulled out one of the many flasks that lined his jacket. As he did so, the ship lurched without warning and some of the shots were knocked over, liquid spilling all over the table as the small glasses scattered. "OH SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!! Maybe Nami was right about this, after all..." Toshi rubbed the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.

Mara was giving the young man an odd look, having noted the number of flasks he seemed to keep on his person. 'This guy is a total alcoholic,' she thought to herself before she shook her head, breaking out of her thoughts. "No, look I don't have time for this, where is your navigator? I have to talk to him! Jeez...what the hell is wrong with this crew?" Weren't pirates supposed to be fearsome warriors of the sea? These people didn't seem to fit the bill at all.

Toshi balked. "No time for alcohol?! COME ON!" He was about to insist that Mara at least have a swig from one of his flasks when what seemed like the entire crew burst through the door at once.

Zoro and Sanji were still butting heads, continuing to yell insults at one another as they entered the kitchen. Luffy was laughing, holding his hands behind his head as he stood there in the thick of it all while Chopper pushed through the forest of legs and ran up to Mara, panting slightly.

"OI! I told you that you need to get back in bed!" He squeaked in horror when he saw that her stitches had continued to bleed since he'd last fixed the bandages. "AHHH!" The tiny reindeer grasped her arm and attempted to pull her back out of the room, but Toshi took hold of Mara's other arm.

"Hey, no! She was gonna do shots with me!"

Spotting Mara, Luffy made his way around the arguing duo and exclaimed, "There you are! So you still need to tell me whose ass I have to kick!"

"What's going on in here?!" A loud female voice rose above the crowd. Sanji and Zoro parted to make way for the orange-haired girl. "You're all too noisy! I'm trying to concentrate!" Nami stood by the doorway, arms crossed, although the stern look vanished from her face once she saw what the fuss was about. "Oh! She's awake!"

"NAMI!!!" Luffy called out, gesturing wildly for her to come closer. "This is Mara, she was just saying she wanted to talk to you! SHISHISHI!"

Chopper shook his head. "Luffy, no! We need to get her back down to the women's quarters, she needs rest! Rest!!"

Nami bent slightly to pat Chopper's shoulder in a consoling gesture, noting as she did so that Mara had the appearance of someone who was quite on edge; standing a bit too stiffly with her brow furrowed. The Strawhat pirates were certainly a lot to take in, especially all at once...although Nami suspected that the crew's antics weren't the root of the problem. "It's alright for now, Chopper. It must be something important." Straightening to her full height, she met Mara's eyes. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"If you're the navigator, then yes," Mara eagerly replied, glad that Nami seemed to be relatively normal in comparison to the others. "Do you think we can talk somewhere else?" She asked, raising her voice over the rest of the crew's incessant shouting.

Nami nodded and beckoned Mara to go along with her, leading the girl outside into what had now become a torrential downpour. The entire group tried to follow, but she whirled around and gave them a withering glare that effectively stopped them in their tracks.

Down the stairs they went, back through the door that would lead them to the women's quarters. As they rounded the corner, they nearly collided with the sniper, who had been heading toward the chaos upstairs with Robin not far behind him.

"Hey, careful!" Nami admonished. "There's absolute chaos going on upstairs. Poor Mara here is trying to ask me a serious question and I can't even hear myself think over Luffy's shouting. Find a way to distract them for a while." She snapped her fingers suddenly, realizing she'd forgotten something. "Ah, right. Mara, this is Usopp and Robin."

Robin smiled politely at their guest. "A pleasure."

"Yeah!" Usopp agreed. "Glad you're okay! You know, I was the one who spotted you floating in the water, so technically it's kind of like I saved your life!" He grinned widely and jerked a thumb toward his chest, although his face fell when Nami gave him a _look._ "Ah...right! Don't worry, I'll keep everybody out of here for as long as I can."

"Good, and make sure to tell those bozos to make themselves useful and keep watch so we don't run into anything dangerous while I'm gone! We're sailing through rough waters, so try to keep Merry steady until I come back."

"Right!" He nodded, moving aside so that the two women could pass by, then he and Robin continued on their way outside to where the crew had gathered on the other side of the door. "OI! Nami needs us to help steer the ship!"

"EHHHHH..." Toshi let out a whine as he snapped to attention, his whole body going stiff as a board. "I'll do it, Nami!!!!" He squeezed himself between the swordsman and the love cook and ran back to the kitchen to man the rudder, his geta shoes clopping loudly on the deck.

Meanwhile, Mara had followed Nami back down to the women's quarters. She hadn't paid much attention the first time she'd been down there, although now she found herself looking more closely at all the details of the room. A nice wooden desk which sat in the corner caught her eye, along with plenty of writing utensils and rolled up paper that she guessed Nami used for cartography. There were also bookshelves, a wardrobe and even a small bar on the other side of the room. This was clearly the most luxurious and carefully constructed room on the entire ship, and she couldn't help but wonder if Luffy wasn't actually the captain after all.

"This is much better!" Nami settled onto the chair by the desk, gesturing for Mara to sit down. Things were finally somewhat peaceful, and although muffled shouting could still be heard from outside, at least the two of them could speak without rude interruptions and distractions. Truth be told, she'd been waiting for the chance to find out more about this strange castaway.

Mara, who only eyed the bed but did not sit down, began almost immediately. "Okay, here's the thing: you have to turn this ship around. The island you're heading to...it's my home. I know all about it, and there's this nasty current that will suck you right in if you get too close. You won't be able to control what happens once you're pulled in. It was great of you guys to help me out, don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful...but if you keep going on like this, you're all going to get yourselves killed! "

A look of concern passed over Nami's face at those words and she couldn't help but feel a slight chill upon hearing Mara's gloomy warning. She, of course, had known all along that the trip to the strange island wouldn't be easy; one look at it from a distance was enough to tell her that much, and the way Merry was currently fighting the choppy waves was another good indicator that they'd be in for a rough ride as the ship grew closer. Still, the decision had already been made and there was no going back...she wasn't sure that they could manage to turn around at this point even if they'd wanted to.

She bit her lip, thinking this over for a moment. If there was ever one thing Nami was confident in, it was her skill as a navigator. She prided herself on her ability to think ahead in these situations and come up with a plan of action, even on the fly, although deep in the recesses of her mind lay the fear that one day she would bite off more than she could chew and realize it too late... Of course, now was not the time to panic in front of someone she had just met, so Nami cleared her throat and nodded.

"I understand the risks of sailing to that island, but please leave it to me," she said. "We've been sailing the Grandline for some time now, and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. So don't worry, I can get us safely to your island." Nami smiled at Mara, hoping that her face didn't betray the worry that she felt. "Anyway, what makes you think we're going to be killed? Is...is your island really that dangerous?" She swallowed, recalling the state Mara had been in when they'd pulled her from the water.

"In more ways than you know," Mara replied, her brow furrowing. "It's called Rumble Cay. I'm sure you can guess how it got its name, obviously we have some crappy weather pretty much year-round. But it's more than that...anyone who has ever come to Rumble Cay hasn't ever been able to leave. People who try will only end up dead...I just happened to get lucky and run into you guys. You...weren't who I was hoping to run into, exactly, but...it's not important.

"See, once you're sucked into the current, you're pulled under by the force of the whirlpools. You won't see them until it's too late. And then there are all the rock formations. If you don't drown by that point, being slammed into those things will definitely kill you..." She trailed off, noting the look of increasing worry in Nami's eyes. "It's not even that, though, the weather is the least of your worries. Even if you did make it to shore, I..." She paused, fidgeting with a loose piece of thread on the deep red shorts she wore. "Look, it's not worth it and you're just going to have to trust me on this. Actually, the truth is, I was kind of hoping you could drop me off somewhere..."

Nami fought to keep her composure, almost wishing now that she'd rejected Luffy's wishes regarding sailing to the island known as Rumble Cay. From the beginning, she'd thought there was something off about it...felt it in her gut, even. Swallowing audibly, the navigator drummed her fingers nervously on the desk beside her, picking up one of her pencils and rolling it between her fingers, noting idly that it had become dull. She placed it back onto the desk and met Mara's eyes again. "We...we can't do that. You said you came from that island...but you're badly injured. We can't just leave you somewhere, don't be ridiculous!"

Mara shook her head. "Not just _anywhere._ I need to get the marines to help me. Every now and then there's a ship that passes by near Rumble Cay, but I don't think they know anyone is there. I thought...if I set sail, if I just tried...maybe I could get close enough to it, get their attention at least, but..." She sighed, gesturing to the room around her. "Obviously that was a bust. Look, I know this is a _lot_ to ask a pirate crew, but do you think you could just take me to the nearest marine base?"

"Absolutely not!" Nami exclaimed, appalled by that request. Was this girl insane? They couldn't just show up at a marine base! Especially not after their recent adventure in Alabasta, which had attracted quite a bit of attention.

"I'm not asking you to sail right up to the harbor with the flag raised high! You could drop me off a few miles away or something and I'll just walk--I'll swim!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous, you're injured! Besides, even if we agreed to do that, we wouldn't know where to go. Do you really think I have a map of all the marine bases in the world on hand? Listen! Why don't you just accept our help? It sounds like you really can't afford to be picky."

Mara opened her mouth to object to this, but Nami continued, "And anyway...there's this thing about our captain..." Her lips turned up into a soft smile. "You see, once he's made up his mind about something, there's no going back."

The brunette sighed. "Yeah, I gathered that, I just kind of hoped you could talk him out of it!" The stress of her situation was beginning to put her in a moody state and she found it difficult to keep the annoyance from her tone. "Why can't you guys just be like normal pirates who steal and burn and pillage, or whatever?! If you weren't so damn nice, it'd be too easy to let you just go there and not care what happens to you!" Mara was pacing the room now, waving her arms to punctuate her agitation. "If I were a worse person, I'd probably do exactly that, but you guys saved my life and I don't want that to happen to you! Don't you get it? Doesn't ANYONE get it?! Rumble Cay is a DEATH TRAP."

There was a brief pause, and Nami had just opened her mouth to reply again when Mara continued, "And if the weather doesn't kill you..." Her eyes grew intense as she spoke the name, fists clenching at her sides, "Leblanc will!"


	3. Storm Warning

_'If the weather doesn't kill you...Leblanc will.'_

Those words floated about in Nami's head for a moment, along with a dozen new questions. A brief silence had befallen the room as Nami considered Mara's warning, while Mara's brow furrowed in frustration at the fact that nothing she said had managed to dissuade the navigator.

An increasingly loud noise drifted down from upstairs and Nami looked past Mara just in time to see Luffy bounce back down the stairs, the rest of the crew at his heels sans Toshi, who was presumably still on the upper deck and steering the ship.

"I tried to stop him, Nami!" Usopp panted, and Luffy only laughed.

"SHISHISHISHI! LEBLANC, HUH? Is that the guy whose ass I need to kick?!" His grin widened as he slammed a fist into his open palm.

Sanji practically fluttered into the room, grinning around his cigarette as he gazed fondly at their guest. "Mara-chan, please, anything that we can do for you, just tell us! I myself would gladly fight until my very last breath to ensure your safety, princ-OOF!" He stumbled as Chopper practically barreled into his legs at that moment in his haste to get to his patient.

The reindeer plopped his medical bag onto the floor nearby and began to fuss at Mara's bleeding sutures. "Please hold still while I tend to your wound! I told you that you need to rest," he chided her in a tiny voice, and she found herself wondering where exactly this talking animal had even come from.

But before she could ask, Luffy was right up in her face and Mara's thoughts snapped back to reality.

"You REALLY aren't getting it, _LUFFY_ ," she snapped, speaking his name in a way that made it sound as though it really meant 'you idiot.' "You can't go to my island! Rumble Cay is...there's just nothing for you there! We have crappy weather, horrible convicts who want to kill you and on top of that, everyone who lives there is deathly ill! Do you really want to get a disease!?"

Chopper froze at her side. "A disease?!"

"That's right! Most of the people living on Rumble Cay are sick. So if you go there, you'll just be exposing your crew to the virus, and I don't think-"

"That's okay," Luffy interrupted, completely undeterred, causing Mara to wonder if he'd even been listening to her at all, "we have the best doctor on the Grandline with us! So you have nothing to worry about!" He patted Chopper on the back as the doctor in question began to sway from side to side, an elated look on his small furry face.

"AWWW shut up! That doesn't make me happy at all! ASSHOLE!" He squealed, clearly happy. Then, remembering his reasons for wanting to venture to the island in the first place, he turned to Mara with a sober look on his face. "I want to help! Where are the sick? Are there any more who are injured like you were?"

Mara gazed down at him, still not entirely certain that a reindeer should know how to speak, let alone practice medicine...but hey, crazier things had happened. "Well...yeah, there are." She bit her lip, recalling the events that had led her to Luffy and his crew. She let out a long breath, finding herself running out of reasons to refuse their help. Nami had a point; she really _didn't_ have the luxury of choices. "A lot of the people there have been sick for a really long time...and our only doctor betrayed us. We have nobody to help them."

Chopper looked stricken by that piece of information. "That's awful! Do you know what kind of disease it is?"

"Not really...I never was the medical type. All I know is that nobody was getting sick until that bastard and his fancy-pants friends showed up."

"Ehh?" Luffy was cleaning his ear with his pinky, half-listening. "Who are you talking about?"

Mara eyed Nami just then, trying to gauge whether or not she ought to be concerned about the Captain's apparent lack of attention span. "Well, it's kind of a long story," she said, choosing to just go with it, "but I'll give you the short version; see, three years ago a bunch criminals showed up on Rumble Cay. I don't know where they came from, really...I've never been able to figure that out. Far as I can tell, they were all a bunch of over-entitled rich bastards. Their leader is this guy named Leblanc Pritchard."

Usopp made a face. "Pritchard? That sounds snobby."

"I've heard of this man." Robin's soft voice drifted in from the back of the crowd. "He made headlines as the CEO of Pritchard Technologies. It was some time after he'd bought out his parents' company as their rival and bankrupted them."

"EH? His own parents?" Usopp shook his head. "That's too cold!"

Mara snorted, "Yeah, sounds just like him."

Robin continued, "Yes. Quite the cutthroat businessman. I recall reading that he'd been directly connected to a scandal involving slaves, and convicted to life in prison...however, he disappeared three years ago. The story goes that a marine ship was on its way to Impel Down with Pritchard and nine of his business associates, but they never made it. The vessel was rumored to have been caught in a storm and the prisoners left to die while the marines barely escaped with their lives."

"I guess they survived after all," Sanji remarked as he idly watched the smoke from his cigarette drift up toward the ceiling. "Is there anything else you can tell us about him, Mara-chan?"

"Actually, I haven't even gotten to the most important part," she replied, studying the group carefully. "Leblanc is a devil fruit user...like some of you are, right? Luffy and Chopper...?" She trailed off and raised an eyebrow at the reindeer, who nodded eagerly in response.

"I ate the Hito Hito fruit," he said. "Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu fruit and Robin ate the Hana Hana fruit," he continued as Robin sprouted an arm on each of Luffy's shoulders and pulled his cheeks back to illustrate Chopper's explanation.

Mara snorted in amusement in spite of herself. "Well, _that_ explains a lot. Anyway, Leblanc...he has the Hari Hari fruit."

Usopp blinked. "He's a glass man?"

"Yeah," Mara replied. "He can create pretty much anything he wants out of glass. For fighting, it's usually a sword of some sort, but...I've seen him make a bunch of other things. You should see the fortress he built for himself...you can't even look at it in direct sunlight," she said with a slight roll of the eyes.

Luffy's eyes began to sparkle. "Oooooh I want to see it! Sounds awesome!"

"Luffy!" Nami slapped the Captain over the head; now was really not the time to get all starry-eyed over their enemy, though Luffy _was_ prone to it. She knew better than to hope that the horrible-sounding island held treasure…but if that Leblanc guy _did_ have such a large castle, then maybe…

She snapped back to attention as she heard Zoro grunting and asking Mara about how many subordinates Leblanc had in his group and whether or not she knew what their abilities were.

"They're all a bunch of his friends from before he was arrested, as far as I know. Good with ranged weapons, mostly firearms. Last I knew, there were around thirteen of them," she answered the swordsman, pausing briefly as if counting in her head. "It's hard to know for sure. Some people from our own village ended up joining him...I think he promises them things." She frowned in disgust at that.

"Things...? You mean money? Jewels?" Nami leaned forward, trying not to look hopeful, though she earned a dirty look from Usopp.

"Probably," Mara shrugged. "Or a way off the island...I know some people would do anything for a chance to leave Rumble Cay. But they're idiots, because I'm pretty sure everything Leblanc says is just a lie. You can't trust him, the guy's a snake."

"So the newspaper said," Robin remarked. "I'm not surprised that his subordinates are skilled in the use of firearms, considering the company he built specialized in manufacturing them. Among other types of hunting weapons."

"I'm starting to look forward to seeing how strong these punks are..." Zoro smirked, hoping that there was possibly a swordsperson among them. His last big fight had been a battle of blade against blade-he still had residual wounds from it-but pain only made him stronger, and he couldn't wait to test his limits yet again.

"SHISHISHI! ME TOO!" Luffy agreed. "I can't wait to kick their asses! I'm going to keep getting stronger and stronger!" The pirate's mind began filling with images of what Leblanc might look like and what kinds of things he could make out of glass. "Too bad he's not a bronze man," he mumbled with a hand to his chin.

Robin chuckled, having overhead his musings. "Indeed."

Nami shook her head. "Now hold on a minute. We should try to help Mara out with MINIMAL bloodshed, don't you think?" Not to mention that she'd had her fair share of violence lately and still wasn't quite as confident in her ability to fight as she was in her ability to navigate.

The ship rocked violently in the next second, nearly sending half the crew tumbling off their feet and Nami's mind flashed to Toshi, who was currently steering the ship single-handedly.

"I GUESS." Luffy responded, apparently having not noticed the tossing ship. He began shifting his weight from one foot to another. "I'm so excited! Hey, do you have food on your island, by the way? I'm STARVING!"

Mara opened her mouth to reply but the bottom of Sanji's shoe greeted the captain's face before he could get his answer.

"How dare you make demands of our guest! Don't be so damn rude!" The chef reprimanded him, a scowl painting his features.

"Mut Shanshi!" Luffy protested around the leather sole.

Nami sighed. There was just no helping it. "It must be getting close to dinner time," she surmised. Not that Luffy ever followed a schedule when it came to food, but even she was beginning to feel hunger pangs.

Sanji immediately straightened and Luffy's face made a ' _boing_ ' sound as his features popped back into place. "Of course, Nami-san, you're absolutely right!" He smiled sweetly at the navigator and then the other two ladies, his visible eye practically lighting up at the prospect of cooking for an additional female. "I'll go and get dinner started right away!" He turned and all but skipped up the stairs toward the kitchen as he murmured to himself, "Oh...I wonder what I should cook for these beauties tonight? Maybe a romantic dinner for the four of us...ah, how mellorine!"

Mara stared blankly after him, noting that most of the crew didn't seem to bat an eye at the chef's odd behavior. Luffy whooped excitedly and dashed toward the steps a moment later, Usopp at his heels.

"I've got to go and check in with Toshi," Nami said as she got to her feet, making eye contact with the newcomer. "For now, there's a reindeer desperate to care for you. We'll talk about this more after dinner, but until then, please leave things to us!" She gave the girl what she hoped was a confident smile before turning and heading upstairs as well.

Mara let her arms fall to her sides and met Robin's eyes, shrugging as Chopper eagerly rushed to her side once more, waving a roll of fresh bandages.

"It's not as if I have a choice."

oOo

Despite the worsening storm, dinner aboard the Going Merry was just as boisterous as any other; perhaps even more so now that there was another guest to regale with tales of their previous adventures. It helped that Mara appeared to not only appreciate the momentary distraction from her own dismal circumstances but also seemed genuinely interested and visibly impressed by everything the Strawhat pirates had been through thus far. Usopp was more than happy to recount the bravery with which he'd fought in Alabasta, and even grinned good-naturedly when Sanji rolled his eyes and corrected the sniper's obvious exaggerations. Robin was particularly quiet when the subject came up, however she appeared to relax once the topic had shifted to the Port of Soba and how the crew had come to meet their latest addition.

Nami would get up every now and then to step outside and check the status of the storm, not leaving anything to chance; particularly after Mara's continued warnings of the island's unpredictable weather. Each time she left the table, Luffy's rubber arm snapped over to her plate to snatch up a dinner roll or a piece of fish, and he just grinned around a mouthful of food whenever Sanji kicked him from under the table amidst the laughter of the other crew members.

It was almost as if they _weren't_ sailing toward an island of doomed endeavors. Mara thought at first that she should have been more worried, but hearing of all the dangers the pirates had already conquered served to put her mind at ease and instill in her a confidence that perhaps they really _could_ help her after all. They were hardly the sort of group that one could take seriously at first glance, however the more she got to know of them, the more Mara realized that she may have misjudged them. Nami even brought out the newspaper which contained the article detailing the Shichibukai Crocodile's defeat in Alabasta not long ago.

The Strawhat pirates were certainly causing a buzz around the Grandline, and for good reason, it seemed; they were the real deal.

As the already-dim evening light began to fade, plates were eventually pushed back and Toshi hopped up to collect them all and deposit them into the kitchen sink. The water ran and the clinking of dishes was heard amidst the light chatter of the Strawhat crew.

Nami was focused, yet remained calm as she seated herself at the table once more. "Usopp, I need you to head outside and keep an eye on the storm," she said as the sniper moved to sit down as well.

"EHH? Me?!" Usopp frowned, dismay all over his face. "Like I want to go out there and risk being washed away! Make Zoro do it!"

"You know we can't trust that moron to stay awake, even in the middle of a storm!" She looked pointedly to the swordsman, who was beginning to nod off even as she spoke.

"This must be your grand scheme to get rid of me," Usopp moaned as he made a face, though even while complaining he still stood and reluctantly headed for the door. "Last time I looked outside, I saw a tornado nearby! It's probably HUGE by now, I'll definitely get sucked in and lost forever!"

Luffy perked up at those words. "TORNADO?! SHISHISHI, THAT SOUNDS COOL! I want to see it!" He whooped and bounced out the door ahead of Usopp, running for the crow's nest and holding his straw hat onto his head with one hand.

The navigator raised her eyebrows at Usopp. "See? You have Luffy out there to protect you." A small smirk tugged at her lips, knowing full well that Luffy was useless in water.

Usopp threw up his hands. "Fine, I'll do it! But let it be known that if the Brave Captain Usopp perishes at sea, it was all at the hands of one wicked, merciless woman." Grumbling, he shuffled out the door after the captain. "OI, LUFFY! Don't fall in!"

Satisfied, Nami glanced up at the chef. "Sanji-kun, do you mind making us some coffee?" She didn't wait for his 'Yes, Nami-swan!' as she turned back to Mara, a piece of fresh parchment rolled out in front of her on the sparkling clean table.

"Hey!" Toshi's voice interrupted as Sanji set up the drip coffee maker. "I'm sure she meant _Kahlua_ coffee."

"Shitty bartender, a lady like Nami-san doesn't want to be inebriated while she discusses strategy!"

Nami could almost hear Toshi roll his eyes at this. "I wouldn't mind a Kahlua coffee, Toshi, but maybe tomorrow."

"Well _I'd_ love one," Mara piped up. "After the day I had. You know, near-death experiences and all." She smirked slightly at that.

Toshi grinned. "Coming right up!" He hopped behind the bar and started searching among the shelves, then cursed under his breath. "Damn, I'm out of Kahlua…" There came another few seconds of rustling. "And a bunch of other things, too. The keg's almost dry, GAH!"

Nami shook her head. "I don't suppose that would have anything to do with those thirty some-odd casual drinks you had today? Plus flasks."

Toshi waved his hand. "That's nothing, if my stupid grandpa hadn't kidnapped me on my birthday, THEN you would've seen how much I can really drink. Oi, Sanji."

The cook looked up from where he was carefully setting Nami's mug of coffee on the table near her, raising his spiral brow in question.

"Come help me get some supplies out of storage. I only have two hands, you know."

Sanji opened his mouth to decline, only to realize that he'd be fetching supplies so that Mara could have a drink; he would _never_ refuse a favor for a lady. "Right, of course! Please excuse us for making you wait, Mara-chwan!" He smiled sweetly before he turned and strode purposefully toward the door, following Toshi outside into the pouring rain.

"Um...okay." Mara shrugged, not quite sure how to respond to that. She glanced up as the green-haired swordsman took a seat near her, his arms crossed. Just minutes ago he'd seemed as though he would doze off, however now he almost appeared inquisitive; as if he'd been thinking about something.

"Oi. Didn't you say that Leblanc bastard can make swords with his glass power?" His lips turned up in a smirk. "That should be a piece of cake for Kitetsu." Zoro uncrossed his arms and patted his side where the sword seemed almost perpetually sheathed.

"Kitet...oh." Mara's eyes dropped to the swordsman's waist upon realizing what he was referring to, noting that he carried no less than _three_ blades. Certainly unusual, although considering the rest of the crew's eccentricities, it was hardly surprising. "Yeah, I did say that," she finally replied, meeting his eyes. "He must have taken a lot of rich-person fencing lessons because he's not bad with it. He'll brag about it to anyone who can survive long enough to listen. If you're lucky, he'll give you an up-close and personal demonstration."

Chopper's eyes went wide at that. "Then...your wound...!"

Zoro turned to meet her gaze, his eyes slowly dropping to her bandaged side. Had she really gone up against that Leblanc asshole and survived? If he was as tough as Mara said he was, then such a thing was pretty impressive by Zoro's standards.

Nami's mouth dropped open in abject horror, her face mirroring Chopper's. "You…you…"

Mara waved a hand dismissively, shooting the navigator a grin. "It's fine. I've been though much worse than that! Actually, I've been shot more times than I can count," she added with an air of nonchalance about her.

"That explains the scars..." The group could have seen the blood drain from Chopper's face, had it not been covered with fur. Zoro made an appreciative noise; he could definitely relate to that.

Nami was still horrified, pinching the bridge of her nose momentarily and dragging her hand down her face as she managed to squeak out, "How did you ever get off that island…?"

"Well..." Mara paused in thought. It was a rather long story that could perhaps wait until a later date, so she finally replied with, "Carefully. Let's just put it that way."

Nami gave the girl a long look before pushing the blank sheet of parchment toward her, along with a charcoal stick. "Okay, just so we're clear on the layout before we actually get there, could you draw up a little diagram of your village versus Leblanc's base of operations and any other enemy camps and hideouts you're aware of? Plus, there's a certain idiot here who can't tell his left from his right on a good day." The navigator shot a hard glance at the swordsman seated next to Mara.

"Oi," Zoro responded, "aren't you going to ask her to mark x's where the treasure is buried, too?" His tone was sarcastic.

Nami growled at him, then paused for a moment, putting a chin to her hand thoughtfully as her eyes suddenly morphed into Beli signs. "But if you DO know where some treasure is, feel free to mark that on the map as well!" She clasped her hands together, grinning widely as Mara picked up the charcoal stick to start drawing.

"Not unless you're wild about glass art," she said with a roll of the eyes, quickly drawing a wide circle to indicate the island of Rumble Cay, along with several other landmarks in various areas. The others leaned closer as she tapped at a rectangle at the edge of the diagram. "Assuming we arrive at the west shore, which is really the only place you _can_ dock, then this is where we'll be starting out. From here, we're going to follow this path up to the village," she continued, pointing to a spot she'd marked about a third of the way in.

Nami nodded along thoughtfully as Mara drew.

"Looks like a bit of a hike," Robin commented as she rested her chin on her hand.

Mara nodded. "About an hour, maybe less. It's a flood zone no matter where you live, but the higher up you are, the better. Anyway, so that's the village. Leblanc's camp," she traced a path toward the eastern third of the island and marked it with a circle, "is over here. He doesn't like to share space with all of us lowly peasants, so he built his stupid castle well out of range. On a good day you can see the top of the damn thing poking through the trees, but usually it's hidden. It takes a couple of hours to get to, depending on how fast you travel." She dropped the charcoal stick onto the table and shrugged, exchanging glances with each of them. "Well, I'm not an artist but you get the idea."

Zoro looked at the newcomer. "That's an understatement."

The navigator stared down at the crudely constructed map, the corners of her mouth twitching, trying not to burst into laughter at how poor Mara's map-drawing skills were. She knew not everyone was an artist, but this was a little ridiculous by her standards.

"I'm sure everyone would love to see a map of your making sometime as well, swordsman-san," Robin interjected, earning a dirty look from Zoro.

Nami picked up the charcoal stick and drew a compass on the map, orienting it based on the information Mara had given her and then carefully writing in the directions.

"Thirteen goons and their king in his glass house, eh?" Zoro mused.

Nami's brow furrowed in concern. "There's no chance of us being spotted while we're going to the village, is there? Do you think he posts a lookout for any incoming ships? If something were to happen to Merry…"

Mara shook her head. "If you're worried about one of them attacking the ship, I wouldn't. Sometimes they do patrol the island, but it's going to be dark by the time we make it there. With all the rain and fog around, you can't see ten feet in front of you, let alone spot a ship coming in."

"I see…" Nami looked visibly relieved. "Great, this helped. I feel less like we're going in blind, though I can't say that Luffy's going to want to sit and plan strategy. His usual plan is along the lines of, 'let's go kick their asses!'" She sighed softly with a little smile.

Robin and Zoro shared glances with each other and then the navigator, their lips turning up as well. Their captain was a bit strange and unorthodox, but he never failed to get the job done.

Toshi re-entered the kitchen and bar area just then, juggling two bottles of clear liquid and a third of dark liquid. "Hey, hey, drinks and a show! Can it get any better than this?" He tossed one of the clear bottles to Zoro while he hopped behind the bar and started mixing up the Kahlua drink he'd promised Mara. "Hurry up with that keg, Sanji!"

A moment later, the chef came through the door with the aforementioned keg, soaked to the bone after having gone from one end of the ship to the other. "Quit complaining, or next time I'll make you get your own alcohol!" He frowned, then turned to smile at the women seated at the table, though ignored Zoro. "Stay dry, ladies! It's getting nasty out there."

From behind the bar Toshi retorted, "And maybe I'll just keep this premium cooking sherry for myself then. As I recall, you requested it." He smirked, pretending like he was going to open the bottle and chug it, then winked at the chef and began mixing up the drinks.

Sanji set the keg down behind the bar, rolling his visible eye at the bartender's antics. He reached for a cigarette, placing it between his lips before lighting it, watching as Toshi served the mixed drinks to the ladies at the table even though Nami had said she didn't want one.

"I put extra in yours, Mara!"

Mara grinned down at the drink he'd set before her. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"Toshi, I need my wits about me, I can't drink this…" Nami shook her head, rolling her eyes a bit.

"Oh, well, MORE FOR ME!" The bartender finished off the pitcher he'd been carrying around and grabbed Nami's drink, gulping it down.

"Robin-chwan! Mara-chwan!" Sanji crooned as he practically floated over to the table, hovering near the ladies as they sipped their beverages. "Perhaps you'd like me to make you something sweeter to wash down that aftertaste? Ack!" He winced as one of Toshi's elbows found its way to his ribcage.

"What the hell's wrong with the aftertaste of my drink?" He huffed, getting a little defensive over Sanji's jab at his drink-making prowess.

Sanji frowned at that question. "Toshi, Robin-chan and Mara-chan are _ladies_ ," he said in an exasperated tone, as if Toshi had failed to notice that fact. "Not to mention that we've only just introduced ourselves to Mara-chan. A man doesn't try to get a lady drunk on their first meeting! How barbaric!" He shook his head disapprovingly, not really noticing the fact that the lady in question had already moved on from that conversation and was now too busy admiring Zoro's swords to even realize that the cook had tried to offer her a drink.

Toshi looked at him as though he had gone mad. "HAH! Where the hell did you grow up, Sanji?" he snorted. "Drinking, 'barbaric.' RIGHT. More like, drinking...'a fantastic way of life!' I bet Zoro would agree with me..." He smirked, enjoying the way Sanji's eye twitched.

Zoro finished off the sake bottle that Toshi had given him earlier and held it up in agreement. "Damn right."

Toshi's eyes suddenly widened, as if he'd just realized something. "Who asked you, anyway, marimo?!"

Zoro shook his head. 'This again!' Toshi was always being nice to him one moment, and then treating him like scum the next. It was the strangest thing.

Sanji just shrugged and began rifling through the refrigerator for the ingredients he needed to make the drinks he'd mentioned for the ladies. Toshi's strange behavior toward Zoro had been going on ever since the bartender joined the crew. At first he'd thought that something must have gone on between the two, however this time he was sure he hadn't seen Zoro do or say anything offensive...well, it wasn't his problem and he wasn't going to waste time worrying about it.

Toshi came up behind Sanji and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I was only joking, how about some Dom Perignon for you? You've earned it."

"Eh? Sure, I could go for some."

It was Zoro's turn to twitch now, and he shot Toshi a dirty look. Toshi winked at Zoro while Sanji was distracted with his champagne. He nodded toward the bar, where he snuck over carefully and fished something out from behind it. He then walked casually past Zoro, handing off another bottle of sake.

Sanji turned around just after Zoro took the bottle, a tray of drinks balanced on his palm. "Ladies! Dessert is served!" He gave them his best charming grin, setting the fruity pink drinks before each of them. "None for you men, you'll have to lick the blender!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "As if I wanted one anyway, curly cook!"

Robin smiled politely. "Thank you, cook-san."

Sanji's eye immediately morphed into a heart as he clasped his hands together, his legs practically fluttering beneath him. "Of course, Robin-chwan! As your charming prince, it's my duty to provide you lovely ladies with anything that you wish for!"

Nami waved the chef away with her hand. "Yes, yes, go find somewhere else to do that. We're busy planning strategy, in case you didn't notice. But thank you, Sanji-kun." Nami took a sip of the drink and smiled.

Toshi rolled his eyes, coming up behind the ladies a bottle of rum in one hand and vodka in the other. "You sure you don't want a little something extra in those?" He grinned.

Nami scoffed. "Toshi, honestly!" She shook her head with an amused smile a second later, muttering under her breath how she didn't know how the alcoholic was able to stay out of the bathroom with the amount of alcohol he drank.

"Mara?" Toshi held up the bottles. "How about you?"

The girl shook her head, gesturing to the three half-full cups of all the drinks she'd been offered thus far. "Still working on these, but thanks." She watched as Toshi shrugged and retreated to his bar, then crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward a bit. "Listen, Nami...guys...there's something I've been meaning to tell you about my island. Maybe it should have been the first thing I told you, but it might not even come up. It might just be a rumor..."

Nami placed her drink down on the table, folding her arms in her lap and leaning toward Mara as well, an expectant look on her face. "I'm listening…"

Robin looked intrigued. "Yes, do tell, castaway-san."

Mara's eyes darted to the side and then back, looking a bit troubled. There was a short pause before she let out a somewhat reluctant sigh and began, "Well, the thing is...the reason I left the island to begin with was because-"

Just then the ship rocked violently, tilting as if on an invisible axis and sending everyone in the room tumbling haplessly across the floor before they even knew what was happening. Lights flickered. Dishes flew everywhere. Several crew members crashed into the wall amidst the sounds of shattering glass and alarmed shouts.

"Is everyone okay?!" Sanji called out as the ship continued its frenzied rhythm, pushing himself to his feet and attempting to maintain his balance.

"Yeah," Mara replied as she used the edge of Toshi's bar to steady herself. "But this isn't going to get any better!" She searched out Nami in the darkness, spotting her and Robin on the other side of the room. Zoro had been catapulted straight into Sanji's kitchen cabinets head-first and was currently attempting to pull himself loose.

"No…" Came Toshi's voice from behind the bar. He was kneeling and clutching a handful of glass that was once a bottle of Jack Daniels. "That was my top shelf…"

"Oh, for heaven's sake…" Nami righted herself only to be flung back into the kitchen a few seconds later. "Toshi! Sanji-kun! Man the rudder, will you? Zoro, come with me and we'll get the others back inside, I can just see Luffy and Chopper falling overboard and sinking straight to the bottom in this crazy weather." The navigator was trying to be lighthearted but she was truly worried and again the thought that they'd taken on more than they could handle crossed her mind.

Sanji scowled in Zoro's general direction as the swordsman continued to struggle in his entrapment. "What are you doing, Marimo?! Quit messing around and go help Nami-san!"

"Shut your mouth, love cook! Do you think I enjoy looking like an idiot?! That's more _your_ arena…" Zoro finally pulled his head free and shot a smug smirk at Sanji, trying to save some face.

The cook glared back, watching as Zoro joined the navigator. "You'd better pray Nami-san isn't hurt out there!" He wobbled a bit as the ship lurched again, then immediately sought after the other women in the kitchen as he exclaimed, "Robin-chwan! Mara-chwan! If you're afraid, please feel free to hold my hand!"

Nami opened the door, Zoro close behind her. A blast of wind and water hit them in the face as they both braved the forces of nature in the worsening storm, hurrying to secure the remaining members of the crew. The rain came in buckets and the wind was determined to knock them to the floor. It was nearly too dark to see what was going on above, but as a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, Nami caught a glimpse the swirling black clouds that Merry had sailed straight under. The floorboards beneath her feet vibrated as thunder growled above them and a moment later she and Zoro were nearly flung overboard when the ship was tossed about yet again on violent waves.

"Zoro! Make sure Luffy and Usopp are alright!" She shouted over the sound of the downpour, holding an arm in front of her face to protect herself from the elements. She gripped the railing for dear life while she watched the swordsman head up to the crow's nest and allowed herself a moment to gather her wits.

She could do this. There was no type of weather that she couldn't get Merry through. Hadn't she said that before? This would be no exception. She just needed to focus and keep her head straight.

Nami breathed out a sigh. It was now or never.

Time to put her skills to the test.

oOo

A trip that normally would have taken a couple of hours with decent weather had taken half a day due to the detours Nami had instructed them to take, and nobody had argued against her. From the window, Mara had been casually pointing out various shipwreck sites during the constant flashes of lightning until Usopp couldn't take anymore and took a seat at Toshi's bar, trying to forget about the turbulent waves they were braving and pretending they _weren't_ aggressively rocking back and forth. Judging by the moans and the occasional screams from his general direction, that method hadn't proved very effective.

Luffy, on the other hand, had been absolutely ecstatic and enamored by the storm they sailed through, having never seen anything quite like it. He had laughed each time Merry was tipped sideways, not fazed even as he bounced from one side of the room to the other amidst the chaos.

It was well into the night when the harrowing journey toward Rumble Cay finally came to an end. When Merry finally scraped bottom, Usopp groaned and declared that they were surely being attacked by a sea king and would not survive.

But the waters were calm and Luffy immediately flung the kitchen door open, running outside with half the crew at his heels.

"WE'RE HERE!" The captain exclaimed loudly, holding his arms over his head as the steady rain cooled his skin.

Mara, who was right behind him, found herself shaking her head in disbelief and visibly impressed. "You guys actually did it... I'm not sure this has ever happened before. Then again, nobody goes out of their way to come here, so, you know..."

Sanji smiled. "That's our navigator for you! Nami-san can get us through anything!"

"What are we waiting for?! LET'S GO!" Luffy shouted, a huge grin on his face.

Nami clamped a hand down firmly on Luffy's shoulder, a withering look on her face. "Luffy, hold on just a minute before you go barreling onto the island. Mara's made a map for us and we're going to STICK TOGETHER. You understand?" She turned and stared hard at the swordsman next. "That goes DOUBLE for you, Zoro."

Zoro snarled. "I don't need a babysitter, Nami!"

Sanji scoffed, "Are you sure about that, Marimo? You bitch so much, I thought you were still in diapers."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Zoro pushed his head against the cook's. "You wanna go, asshole?!"

"QUIET!" Nami released Luffy, holding up both of her hands. "Enough, the two of you!"

"YES NAMI-SWAAAN!' Sanji crooned while Zoro harrumphed, folding his arms.

Nami continued with a serious tone, "Prepare yourselves. Mara will lead. Get anything you need and meet back here in five minutes."

"Right!" Came Chopper's small yet serious voice as he turned and hurried to retrieve his doctor bag, which he had already packed during the time Mara had been unconscious in anticipation of their arrival. Usopp followed suit, going off to get his own bag of tricks from where he'd stashed it below deck.

Toshi palmed his jacket and gasped upon feeling that there wasn't a single flask left in the pockets. He'd drank them all during his turn at the rudder and was in terrible need of a restock. He took off at a run towards the kitchen just then. "NO TIME TO WASTE!"

Luffy looked contemplative for a moment before snapping his fingers, as he'd just thought of something. "SANJI! Do we get pirate lunchboxes too? I'M STARVING!"

The chef was attempting to light a cigarette by cupping his hand tightly around the end, but the soft rain was hindering his progress. "Luffy…this isn't some picnic!" He chided. "But you ARE useless when you're hungry…" Sanji shrugged and turned on his heel, heading after Toshi into the kitchen to pack up some sandwiches and onigiri.

By the time the allotted five minutes were up, the entire crew plus Mara were gathered on the main deck and preparing to disembark, most of them with travel packs strapped to their backs.

"Look, guys," Mara began as she fidgeted with the strap of the pack she had volunteered to carry, "I don't think I really thanked you for agreeing to do this. You didn't have to come all this way, and to be honest I thought you were all idiots at first." She couldn't help but smirk at that, despite the situation. "But seriously; thank you. I don't know what's going to happen once we get out there, but-"

"SHISHISHI, YEAH OF COURSE!" Luffy interrupted. "NOW LET'S GO!" The captain slapped her hard on the back, pushing her forward a foot or two and earning a mini lecture about the treatment of mellorine, beautiful ladies from Sanji.

Mara only grinned, straightening up as she glanced around at the crew, the only light in the darkness coming from the small lantern that Robin was carrying. "Looks like you guys are all ready, so I'll show you the way to the village! Be careful down there, it's pretty muddy," she added, making her way toward the railing and easily vaulting over it into the misty night air, landing on her feet in the muck at the bottom.

The others followed suit, Luffy eagerly taking point along with Mara while Usopp hung back with Nami and Chopper. It was just as Mara had said; the fog was so thick around them that their visibility was greatly reduced. If he hadn't known any better, Usopp would have been convinced that she was leading them into the middle of nowhere. Could there really be people actually living on this island?

Mud squished beneath their shoes as Mara led them further into the island. The hike that she'd mentioned was definitely not one of the more fun activities any of them had experienced; the muck was thickest at the bottom, and more than once someone had to go back and retrieve a boot or a sandal that had been pulled off a foot during the trek.

Finally they approached a weathered wooden ramp that seemed to disappear into the overgrowth of the forest, barely visible even with the light from Robin's lantern. The rain had not let up one bit since the ship had arrived at the shore, though the trees that now towered over them in clusters allowed them all a bit of refuge from the steady downpour. The sound of the rainfall may have been peaceful had it not been for the gloomy atmosphere. Fog wafted upward, nearly concealing the rickety wooden bridges that they found themselves trekking across next.

Nami scuffed her boots, attempting to wipe off the mud that had been caked onto her soles. "How do you...how do you live here?" She wondered aloud, chancing a look at Luffy, who had already managed to cover himself in mud and for some reason appeared to be proud of that fact. She picked up her speed a bit until she fell into pace with Mara.

Mara shrugged, her eyes forward. "What do you mean? I know this is extreme, but doesn't this sort of thing happen in other places, too?

"Um, no."

Zoro snorted from somewhere behind them, having been dragged in the proper direction a few times already. "From one hell hole to the next, eh?"

"SOBA IS NOT A HELL HOLE!" Came Toshi's indignant retort.

Sanji couldn't help but scoff. "That's debatable. Stupid old man..." He gritted his teeth, recalling the last battle he'd had against Toshi's grandfather and how it hadn't exactly gone as well as he had planned.

Zoro laughed in a rather obnoxious manner. "That's right, our shitty cook got his ass handed to him by a man who weighs five pounds!" He smirked devilishly as Sanji whirled around to glare at him, and thus began another round of bickering in which Sanji insulted Zoro's intelligence and Zoro insulted Sanji's masculinity.

Ignoring the shouting going on behind him, Chopper trotted up in between Mara and Nami, gazing about their surroundings with concern on his face. "With the ground like this, it's an ideal place for bacteria to grow," he observed, his voice quiet and serious. "How many on the island are sick, Mara?"

"Too many," Mara answered, a bitterness in her tone. "Honestly, I don't know for sure. At least half, maybe more. It's taken a long time for whatever it is to settle in, I mean Leblanc and his idiots got here about three years ago. At first, only the old people were getting sick, but now the younger ones are starting to show signs...well, when I say 'younger' I guess I really mean 'middle-aged.' I'm technically the youngest person living here," she added with a shrug as she led them up to another man-made bridge, this one steadily inclining and shaking noticeably beneath their feet.

Usopp exchanged glances with Nami as they stepped carefully across the creaky wooden planks. "These are safe, right...?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'safe.' ...Oh! Watch out for loose planks."

A smash and a manly shriek sounded together in that next moment. Usopp pulled his foot from the splintered board in the middle of the bridge, clapping a hand over his heart, his eyes wide with surprise. "SAY THAT SOONER!"

Finally they slowed a bit as they ascended yet another slanted bridge, reaching what appeared to be the entrance to Mara's village, though it was unlike any other that they had encountered in their travels thus far. From what they could tell, it seemed to be built entirely into the trees. Each of the degrading wooden houses had been shoddily constructed onto a particularly sizeable tree about five or six feet from the murky water below, and every residence seemed to be connected by means of a wobbly wooden bridge. The fog was thickest in the center of the village, giving the atmosphere a creepy vibe, especially considering the whole place seemed to be completely deserted. The only sound they heard came from the patter of raindrops on the leaves above.

Mara sighed a little, gesturing toward the scene in front of them and looking unenthusiastic. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present the village of Rumble Cay. It didn't used to be such a ghost town, just so you know." She pointed toward a small shack in the distance, sitting on a tree by the edge of the village. "We're going to stop by there first. I...have someone I want you to meet."

"Ehh? A person?" Curious, Luffy walked along beside her, slipping a bit on the slick bridge as she led them all across it and up to the door of the shack. Behind them, the rest of the crew exchanged glances, shrugging slightly at each other.

Mara reached for the wobbly doorknob. "I hope she isn't too mad," she remarked, somewhat under her breath, though before she could do anything else, the door was pulled open from inside.

"MARA!" Came a sharp, raspy voice that definitely sounded mad. A woman appeared in the doorway, looking haggard and on the frail side, the frown on her face particularly unnerving with her gaunt features. "Where the HELL have you been? Are you an idiot?!"

Mara balked. "I'M an idiot? You're about to die and you aren't resting in bed, who's the real idiot?" She shot back, although in the next moment the older woman fell against the door and Mara was rushing to support her. "Gram!"

Mara's grandmother began coughing sporadically as she spoke. "When I woke up and you were gone, I _knew_ you had gone to do something stupid! Ever since you mentioned that ship..." She wheezed, trying to catch her breath as she allowed Mara to support her.

"Okay, I get it, you can yell at me all you want later! I did what I had to do and it worked! I found help..." Mara turned and gestured toward the group standing before the door. "And one of them is a doctor..."

Her grandmother blinked, taking a moment to let that sink in. It seemed she hadn't even noticed the pirates until Mara had brought them to her attention. She surely did not look well; her pale forehead glistened with a sheen of sweat and she appeared to be quite dazed, yet trying very hard to put on a strong face. She swallowed, taking a clumsy step backward and gesturing for the group to come forward.

"Well, hurry on in, you can't stand out there in plain sight. It's too dangerous! We'll talk more inside. I especially want to talk to _you_ ," she said with a pointed look at Mara. Still leaning heavily on her granddaughter, the ill woman quickly ushered the group of pirates inside the small home.

As the door closed behind them, hidden beneath the heavy fog and tucked away into the bushes, a stranger smiled to herself in a rather smug manner. So the little thorn in Leblanc's side had actually found people to help her?

Well...they were certainly welcome to _try_.


End file.
